Apple up to .....

[()]

I read an article in my MacWorld magazine and found one to be quite interesting.  Apple may do away with Harddrives altogether.  The new storage will be "FLASH-drives" on the next generation of Macs.

I found this to be interesting all because I wonder what will happen to all the companies, and jobs that employ those that make Hard for the current computers.

Will Flash-drives on computers help or hurt the economy?

I think it's interesting to see where Apple Inc. is going, but I also worry about the people in the workplace, and companies that will buckle and crumble away.

Just my thought...

[kimmer]

I can't imagine using "Flashdrives" in place of a HD.

To my knowledge, which is most limited:
When used on a consistent basis they aren't as reliable as a HD.
They are small and thus easily misplaced, lost, etc.
Think rampant ID THEFT if lost. I mean, companies can't keep a handle on their laptops and reg. computers. This scares the tar out of me!

I'm sure there's more ... but let's hope this is just a nasty rumor.

[Paddy]

For more comments/thoughts in response (and it was Samsung who were talking about it):

http://forums.appleinsider.com/showthread....;threadid=55471

[RNKIII]

I'm sure, or at least hopeful, that the 'flash drives' would be 'internal'... and that it would just be the application of that type' technolgy' to replace the 'spinning' HDDs now used?!?!?

Bob K.   rnkiii

[Texas Mac Man]

I read an article a few days ago about Phase-change Random Access Memory (some call it PRAM, others P-CRAM). It's somewhat different from today's flash memory. It's also much faster. This gives an overview.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-change_memory

[MamaMoose]

There are limits to the capacity of flash drives. Current FDs go to 4 GB. using 0.25 - 0.35 micron (1 millionth of a meter) design rules. At some point very soon, they are going to run out of the ability to make large capacity FDs. Right now, one can use electron-based photo lithography to shrink things down to Angstroms. However, to make mass production devices may not be feasible from a cost point-of-view.

There are several advantages to all-FD memory: NO MOVING PARTS;  no impossibly small tolerances.; and no dependence on magnetic fields.

Knowing how technology can ovewrcome almost impossible barriers, I wouldn't be surprised to see a 160 GB flash drive be available in the next few years.

MamaMoose

[()]

The Flashdrive/HD will be built into the computer itself.  It's like a memory module that will just snap into place if you would ever feel the need to upgrade, or ad to your Flashdrive/HD.

[Paddy]

I'm sure we'll see some interesting developments in the coming years - probably things we never thought possible a few years ago. After all, who would have thought you could get 4GB of data in something the size of a matchbook???

Certainly poses some interesting possibilities in the laptop department - if hard drives and optical drives go the way of the dodo, then sizes/weight may drop dramatically.

[krissel]

I believe I read recently that Vista will (or does) allow one to plug in a flash card to give the memory a little extra boost. That makes sense for the present state of tech.

[Gregg]

It'll give new meaning to "flasher".

[tacit]

QUOTE(Nutterbutter @ Dec 17 2006, 07:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I read an article in my MacWorld magazine and found one to be quite interesting.  Apple may do away with Harddrives altogether.  The new storage will be "FLASH-drives" on the next generation of Macs.

I found this to be interesting all because I wonder what will happen to all the companies, and jobs that employ those that make Hard for the current computers.

Will Flash-drives on computers help or hurt the economy?

I hate to sound cynical, but... who cares?

When technology changes, smart companies keep up with the new technology, and dumb companies go bankrupt. When dumb companies go bankrupt, smart companies move in to the space they leave, fill the hole, and take over the dumb companies' customers.

As computers become more and more and more commonplace, the companies who make parts for those computers will grow more and more successful. It does not matter what the details of the technology are. If computer manufacturers start using solid-state hard drives, then the companies that make hard drives, like Seagate and Western Digital, better start making solid-state hard drives.

Current hard drives suck. Every hard drive on the market right now is a piece of junk. Hard drives are appallingly primitive--they are slow, fragile, clumsy, and unreliable, with short life spans and poor reliability. The hard drive is the weakest link in modern computers; mechanical devices with tiny motors and many moving parts, that are so delicate any sudden jar can completely destroy them.

We need something else. We need to replace these primitive, cumbersome, archaic pieces of junk. Every other part of a computer has progressed dramatically in recent times except the hard drives. A solid-state storage device with no moving parts is inevitable; we need to get away from spinning magnetic disks. Smart hard drive manufacturers are probably already looking for technology to replace hard drives. Dumb hard drive manufacturers will keep desperately clinging on until nobody wants their junk any more, then they will disappear like buggy whip manufacturers. Their customers will move to smart hard drive manufacturers, the smart hard drive manufacturers will have to expand to meet demand and will hire the former employees of the bankrupt dumb hard drive manufacturers, and life will go on.

[Gregg]

Is that why I can't find any vinyl records to play on my turntable??

[Parker]

flashdrives are not near as reliable as hard drives
i've had bad luck with those also

[tacit]

QUOTE(Parker @ Dec 21 2006, 11:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

flashdrives are not near as reliable as hard drives
i've had bad luck with those also

The flash-memory solid-state hard drives being discussed are not the same as the flash "keychain" drives you can get today at almost any electronics store.

Though to be fair, I have found that flash keychain drives are very, very reliable. 99% of the time when I see someone having problems with a keychain drive, the problem comes from the fact that they are using the keychain drive on a Mac but it is still formatted for PC. A Mac can work with a PC disk, with some shortcomings, but the complicated behind-the-scenes voodoo that Mac OS X has to do to make a Mac file fit onto a PC filesystem without losing important Mac-specific data makes it inefficient and less reliable.